PlayMancer

PlayMancer - A European Serious Gaming 3D Environment

(FP7-215839) - (Project started on November 2007)

The aim of PlayMancer is to implement a framework and a platform for serious games, with a special focus on therapeutic support games for behavioural and addictive disorders, i.e. eating disorders and pathological gambling.

NetUnion will lead the work on user requirements and game scenarios, and will implement and validate game prototypes as supporting modules for the Salut guided self-help programs for Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder.

The project will integrate the state of the art of games research, cognitive behavioural therapy and e-learning approaches and will aim to achieve the following objectives:

to construct a next generation networked gaming environment, mainly augmenting the gaming experience with innovative ICT modes of interaction between the player and the game world,

to allow for a shorter and most cost-effective game production chain, by enabling techniques for procedural content creation based on generative modelling, and thus reduce the cost of offering a full-fledged pre-designed gaming world,

to evolve the principles of Universally Accessible Games for application into 3D-based games, following a design for all philosophy, with the ultimate goal of designing games to be equally challenging to players of different abilities,

to evaluate the proposed framework and gaming infrastructure by developing and testing a series of serious games modules as applied to 2 application domains: physical rehabilitation, and therapeutic support and lifestyle management programs for behavioural and addictive disorders.